2 feet of snow, -40 F possible as storm roars East

Snow is starting to pick up along Interstate 490 in Rochester, New York. The winter storm is expected to bring heavy snow from the Midwest into the Northeast through Sunday, making travel extremely dangerous.
USA TODAY

A blast of winter that dropped more than a foot of snow in parts of the Midwest grew more angry as it roared east on Sunday, paralyzing airports, railroads and highways in more than a dozen states.

Blowing snow from wind gusts of 50 mph or more along with plummeting temperatures added to the dangerous conditions sweeping the nation's northern tier from Missouri to Maine.

The National Weather Service warned that some areas of the Northeast could see 2 feet of snow into Monday, and southern New England may be battered by a quarter-inch of ice.

“Feet of snow, blizzard conditions, a significant buildup of ice, tree-breaking winds and plunging temperatures will close roads, cause flight cancellations and disrupt daily activities over a large part of the northeastern United States,” AccuWeather senior meteorologist Alex Sosnowski said.

President Donald Trump weighed in on Twitter, urging the millions of people dealing with the storm to be careful – and stay at home if possible. He cited the bitter cold temperatures and added that it "wouldn’t be bad to have a little of that good old fashioned Global Warming right now!"

More than 4,000 flights were canceled from Friday through Monday, and more are expected. About 1,000 arrivals and departures were canceled at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport alone. A United Airlines flight from Phoenix, carrying 129 people, skidded from a slick runway there Saturday, but no injuries were reported.

Trains provided little respite. Amtrak canceled more than 20 trains Sunday and altered routes for almost as many. In Pittsburgh, all inbound and outbound rail service was suspended for several hours Sunday because of frozen overhead power lines, the Port Authority of Allegheny County said.

Highways were dangerous. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo declared an emergency, called up 450 National Guard members and banned tractor-trailers and buses from the New York State Thruway and other interstate highways. The state Highway Department warned that those who did venture out should allow plenty of room for plows that don't travel more than 35 mph.

Be careful and try staying in your house. Large parts of the Country are suffering from tremendous amounts of snow and near record setting cold. Amazing how big this system is. Wouldn’t be bad to have a little of that good old fashioned Global Warming right now!

More than 30,000 Connecticut homes and businesses were without power and the number was rising as the temperature fell. Parts of Vermont and Maine were expecting final snow totals of up to 18 inches. The wind chill could push temperatures a slow as -35 degrees, the National Weather Service warned.

"Significant amounts of snow, sleet and ice will make travel very hazardous or impossible," the weather service said.

Earlier, Missouri and Kansas were among the hardest-hit states. The temperature dropped to 8 degrees at Kansas City International Airport just before midnight on Saturday, making it the city's coldest day in almost a year.

A 15-car pileup shut down Interstate 55 near Ste. Genevieve, Missouri, for hours. The highway was open Sunday, but the state Transportation Department warned that it was snow-covered and urged "extreme caution."

In Kansas, snowplow driver Stephen Windler was killed when his truck rolled over on a highway near Stilwell, the Kansas Department of Transportation reported.

"My heart is breaking for the family of this dedicated employee," Gov. Laura Kelly said. "My thoughts are with his family, friends and the entire KDOT family at this devastating time.

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Jeff Dahl races down Harrison Ave. while skier Jason Dahl airs out off the final jump of the Leadville skijoring course during the annual Leadville Ski Joring & Crystal Carnival Weekend on March 3, 2019 in Leadville, Colo. Leadville has been hosting skijoring competitions since 1949. JASON CONNOLLY, AFP/Getty Images

The pitch is cleared of snow during the second half of a soccer match between the Portland Timbers and the Colorado Rapids at Dick's Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, Colo. on March 2, 2019. RON CHENOY, USA TODAY Sports

A man, who declined to give his name, takes a picture of a small snowman at the "Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas" sign along the Las Vegas Strip, Las Vegas is getting a rare taste of real winter weather, with significant snowfall across the metro area in the first event of its kind since record keeping started back in 1937. John Locher, AP

David Slodysko Sr. teaches his grandson, David Slodysko III, how to use a snow blower in Shamokin, Pa., on Feb. 20, 2019. About 4 inches of snow fell in central Pennsylvania. LARRY DEKLINSKI, The News-Item via AP

Workers de-ice a jetBlue airplane as flight operations continue in the snow at Reagan-National Airport during a winter storm in Arlington, Va, Feb. 20, 2019. Federal government offices and most area schools have been closed as several inches of snow are predicted for the metro Washington, DC, area and the Eastern Seaboard of the US. ERIK S. LESSER, EPA-EFE

Landon Miller, 16, clears the walk in front of his home as snow falls on Feb. 13, 2019, in Erie, Pa. Miller said he doesn't like to shovel and that his legs don't get cold wearing shorts. GREG WOHLFORD, Erie Times-News via AP

Judy Porter shovels her sidewalk in Appleton, Wis. Feb. 12, 2019. The latest snow storm to move through the state dropped several inches of snow overnight, 6 to 12 inches are expected by Tuesday evening. William Glasheen, USA TODAY NETWORK

A harbor light is covered by snow and ice on the Lake Michigan in Chicago, JAn. 30, 2019. A deadly arctic deep freeze enveloped the Midwest with record-breaking temperatures on Wednesday, triggering widespread closures of schools and businesses, and prompting the U.S. Postal Service to take the rare step of suspending mail delivery to a wide swath of the region. Nam Y. Huh, AP

John C. Anderson, 74, braves a minus 27 windchill to do shirtless pull-ups on a tree branch outside, in Silvis, Ill.. Jan. 30, 2019. "It's going to be a historically cold day and I wanted to do something nobody else dare do," said Anderson, who is known for his fitness stunts. "A lot of people think all old people are cold, they got cold blood...I wanted to show them not all old people are that cold blooded, certainly I'm not," said Anderson. Todd Mizener, AP

A woman bundled up walka past a sign poking fun at the weather in Des Moines, Iowa. Jan. 30, 2019. The National Weather Service reported a new record low temperature of -19 in Des Moines. Kelsey Kremer/The Register

Nathan Tearman, front center, gets help from his brother James as they shovel the driveway of their home on Monday, Jan. 28, 2019, after a winter snowstorm made its way through Janesville, Wis. Anthony Wahl, AP, Anthony Wahl, AP

As the temperatures plummet, a woman braves the cold as she covers her face with a scarf near the corner of Main and Market Streets in downtown in Paterson, NJ., Jan 30, 2019. Mitsu Yasukawa, USA TODAY NETWORK

As a winter storm system moves through the upper Midwest, a plowing operation involving Dane County, Wis. snow plows clears snow from the westbound lanes of U.S. Highway 12/18 in Madison, Wis., Jan. 23, 2019. John Hart, AP

Residents brave several inches of snow to place their trash containers out in Milwaukee following a winter storm that dumped several inches of snow across Wisconsin, January 22, 2019. Rick Wood, USA TODAY NETWORK

A person walks in the blowing snow in Omaha, Neb. Snow and freezing rain has prompted officials to close the largest school districts in Nebraska and Iowa ahead of a winter storm that's threatening the Midwest with several inches of snow. NATI HARNIK, AP

epaselect epa07307257 A pedestrian is bundled up as extremely cold weather blankets the Northeast region in New York, New York, USA, 21 January 2019. Temperatures today dipped to the lowest levels in almost three years in Central Park, with lows expected to reach 13 Fahrenheit (-10 Celsius). EPA-EFE/PETER FOLEY ORG XMIT: PFX2 PETER FOLEY, EPA-EFE

Bill Seagrobes grinds away at snow in a parking lot in downtown Burlington as Winter Storm Harper dumps up to an inch or more of snow an hour in parts of Vermont. RYAN MERCER, Burlington Free Press via USA TODAY Network

Colin Forkey, 11, adds snow to a snow fort he was building with his older brother, Conor, during a snow storm in the Village of Fairport, N.Y. MAX SCHULTE, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle via USA TODAY Network

The snow is creeping into the Rochester, N.Y. area a little earlier than expected as this bike rider found out on Jefferson Ave on Jan. 19, 2019. Jamie Germano, Rochester Democrat And Chronicle via USA TODAY Network

Quarterback Justin O'Dell looks to throw deep as a group of friends braved the frigid temperatures and accumulating snow to play tackle football in Cobbs Hill Park in Rochester, N.Y. on on Jan. 19, 2019. Jamie Germano, Rochester Democrat And Chronicle via USA TODAY Network

Ashley Peppriell, a graduate student at the University of Rochester, runs through Mount Hope Cemetery in Rochester, New York. Heavy snow is expected through out the weekend. Jamie Germano, Rochester Democrat And Chronicle via USA TODAY Network

A woman rides her bike downtown during a snow storm in Sioux Falls, S.D., Friday, Jan. 18, 2019. A strong winter storm system is forecast to sweep across the Midwest into New England, bringing double-digit snow accumulations and high winds. Loren Townsley, Argus Leader via the USA TODAY Network

A man gives a thumbs-up as he passes others braving the wind and rain as they walk on the Huntington Beach Pier in Huntington Beach, Calif., Jan. 17, 2019, as another storm brought more rain to Orange County and Southern California. Mark Rightmire, AP

The strong wind catches a woman's umbrella as she walks along the beach just north of the Huntington Beach Pier, Jan. 17, 2019, as another storm brought more rain to Orange County and Southern California. Mark Rightmire, AP

A road clearance truck attempts to move a large boulder from the middle of a road after a heavy rainstorm swept through the area in Calabasas, Calif. on Jan. 17, 2019. The latest in a series of Pacific Ocean storms pounded California with rain and snow Thursday, prompting officials to put communities on alert for mudslides and flooding and making travel treacherous. California Department of Transportation via AP

City workers remove a giant oak tree that uprooted and fell on top of a house due to heavy rain, Jan. 17, 2019 in Burbank, Calif. Heavy rain and danger of flooding and mudslides is continuing in Los Angeles and across Southern California as storms wallops the region. Robyn Beck, AFP/Getty Images

Stuart "Bink" Luhrmann checks the fluid of a plow truck Thursday, Jan. 17, 2019, in the Pittsfield, Mass., City Garage. Forecasts call for a significant snowfall in the Northeast over the weekend. "This one drinks antifreeze" said Luhrmann. Ben Garver, The Berkshire Eagle via AP

A work crew removes branches from a tree on Mission Street in San Francisco, Thursday, Jan. 17, 2019. Heavy rain, snow and wind pummeled much of California Thursday, causing at least five deaths, leaving thousands without power and forcing wildfire victims threatened by floods to flee their homes. Jeff Chiu, AP

A pedestrians makes his way along a rain soaked Hollywood Blvd. in Los Angeles on Thursday, Jan. 17, 2019. The latest in a series of Pacific Ocean storms pounded California with rain and snow Thursday, prompting officials to put communities on alert for mudslides and flooding and making travel treacherous. Richard Vogel, AP

Fans watch a high school soccer match under rain Wednesday, Jan. 16, 2019, in La Habra, Calif. Another Pacific storm is bearing down on California, bringing a threat of mudslides to the site of the deadliest wildfire in state history and a rare blizzard warning in the Sierra Nevada. Jae C. Hong, AP

This photo provided by Mammoth Mountain Ski Area shows fresh snow fall over one of the chair lifts at Mammoth Mountain Ski Area in Mammoth Lakes, Calif., Wednesday, Jan. 16, 2019. A Pacific storm that brought fears of dangerous mudslides and a rare blizzard warning in the Sierra Nevada was less fierce than expected but hundreds of homes in fire-scarred California areas remained under evacuation orders as more rain was expected. Peter Morning, Mammoth Mountain Ski Area via AP